


Our Fairytale

by StarlingHawke (Bowm8935)



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Cheesiness, Depression, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 12:33:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11806092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bowm8935/pseuds/StarlingHawke
Summary: For day one of mmrarepairweek on Tumblr!Saeran's been having a bad month. Zen wants to help.





	Our Fairytale

It’s been a bad day in a bad week of a fairly bad month. The color-coded calendar Saeran keeps in his room to help track his progress has been full of yellow and red with only one or two green days. He’d been doing better, been having more good than bad days but then their birthday came around along with the anniversary of Saeyoung’s disappearance and he regressed heavily.

Tonight’s no different. He’s lying in bed, staring at the blank ceiling above and wallowing in a pool of self-hatred. One step forward, twenty back, the movements he seems to be forever caught up in despite every attempt to extract himself from the dance floor. Poor defenseless Saeran, never strong enough to overcome the difficulties in his life, even when he has his brother back, a loving boyfriend and multiple therapies meant to help him with this shit. No, none of it’s been helping recently.

The past few days have been all red, waking up from nightmare-riddled sleep to throw up whatever food he’d managed to force down the night before. Saeyoung keeps nudging him to go to his appointments but honestly Saeran just doesn’t have the will or the energy to deal with anyone, not even his brother. He locks himself in his room and only comes out for the bare necessities, eating one slim meal a day when he has to take the medicine that’s not doing a damn thing right now.

A knock on the door makes him sigh; it’s all a show, Saeyoung took his locks away forever ago when he still self-harmed. Anyone can waltz in if they choose and sometimes, they do. The faux attempt at giving him privacy only causes more chafing in his already bitter and sore heart, and so his voice is frigid when he calls out, “just fucking come in.”

Rolling over onto his stomach when the door starts to creak open, Saeran buries his face into the pillow stinking of sweat and tears, uninterested in facing his twin tonight. He knows it’s late, knows it’s well past the hours when normal people go to sleep (not that either of them are even close to qualifying as ‘normal’) and knows he hasn’t even eaten yet today. A lecture, no matter how well-meant, will not help him break out of this rut he’s stuck in.

The footsteps give him away. Saeran knows it’s actually Zen and not Saeyoung before the mattress dips next to him and the hands of his boyfriend land softly on his back. “Babe. Hope it’s okay that I came to check in on you. It’s been awhile since we spoke and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

A silly sentiment, but one Saeran can appreciate nonetheless. Still, every response that rises in his throat is bitter, rude, mean, not something Zen deserves to have thrown at him, so he stays quiet.

“That bad, huh?” Zen sighs. They’ve been together long enough, been through enough of Saeran’s episodes that Zen’s picked up on most of Saeran’s little habits, has learned what they mean and how to work with them. Saeran supposes this is a good thing, even if sometimes it feels invasive and unwelcome. That’s just the part of him that still doesn’t want to trust people.

Slowly, carefully, Zen’s hands slip under Saeran’s shirt and start to knead at the muscles in an attempt to help relieve some of the tension there. Sometimes touch helps, and Saeran knows this is one of the ways Zen susses out whether that’s the case or not.

Thankfully, it does appear to be the case tonight as he feels some of the tightness release from his shoulders. The pillow is putrid but he continues to lie face down in it, unwilling to see the face of the man he’s been intentionally ignoring for at least a week now. It’s likely Zen’s forgiven him, that he really just wants Saeran to be okay, but what if that’s not the case? What if Zen just wants to get him out of this funk so that he can be guilt-free and break up with him? What if-

“You’re too quiet. I bet you’re stuck in your head.”

The soothing voice pulls him back to reality and Saeran bites his lip, shrugging.

“Babe. I’m not going anywhere, okay?” It’s closer now, and the bed shifts to accommodate a body lying next to him, gently rolling him over and pulling him into a chest scented with vanilla and cinnamon. A familiar smell, a grounding presence. “I love you. I’m here for you. I promised I’d never leave your side, and I intend to keep that promise as long as I live.”

But a promise is still a promise, a word wrought with hurt and anger for Saeran. Too many people have broken promises for him to trust one now.

“Let me tell you a story. You don’t have to say anything, you can just lay here with me and listen. Okay?” Saeran doesn’t answer, doesn’t move a muscle. That doesn’t deter Zen in the slightest. “Once upon a time, there was a handsome man, one whose beauty was lauded in all of the kingdoms. But for all of his beauty and talent, this man was very lonely, for he had no family and few friends. He was filled with love, but had no one to give it to. And so he threw himself into his work, into making others happy even if he was not. Eventually he resigned himself to this being his fate, his punishment for being made so beautiful.”

“This man had a small group of friends who held parties for the king and queen, and the parties were great successes. Their own fame grew and gradually an invite to one of their events was coveted by all. For a while, the man found fleeting happiness in helping his friends.”

“But with success often comes enemies, and the man and his friends had made some very powerful ones by causing another group to look bad inadvertently. This other group tried to take them down, but their plans failed and the king and queen banished them from the kingdom. All except one of them, a lost prince who had been kidnapped as a child and taught the ways of evil.”

“The man chose to try to help the prince relearn how to join society and found out that despite the rumors going around about him, the prince was actually very funny, kind and incredibly smart. It didn’t take long for the man to fall in love, and he did everything in his power to show the prince that he was worthy of affection. Not just from him, but from anyone and everyone.”

“It was a tough journey and a battle he’d have to fight most of his life, but eventually the prince succeeded in overcoming his old training. He agreed to give the beautiful man a chance and they were a wonderful couple indeed, learning how to help each other and make each other happy. There were tough days and there were easy days, but the beautiful man was always willing to stay by the prince’s side as long as the prince would have him. Because the prince was worth so much more than the sum of his mistakes, worth more than fame and gold and bad days. Because the prince also knew how to show the beautiful man how to be happy. They helped each other find their own happiness, not through each other, but with each other. A true love story to rival those of anyone else.”

Saeran listens to the entire thing without comment, realizing very quickly that Zen was obviously the beautiful man and he, the prince. It’s cheesy and stupid and so very much Zen that Saeran can’t help but feel a tiny spark of warmth in the base of his cold, cold heart.

It’s not much, but it’s a start.

“Thank you,” he whispers hoarsely against Zen’s chest and feels those arms tighten around him minutely. For the first time in who knows how long he feels tired, feels like he might be able to catch a few hours of sleep. “Will you… will you stay?”

“Of course.” Zen pulls him closer and presses a kiss to the top of his forehead, resuming rubbing his back as best he can. “I’ll be here until you tire of me, just like in the story. I love you with all of my heart, Saeran. I love every part of you, no matter how bad you think it is. You are my sun, my moon, my stars, the person I want to be with always. Nothing will change that.”

“You’re being fucking gross again,” Saeran mutters, relieved his face is hidden so that Zen won’t see the heat gathering in his cheeks.

Zen’s laughter rings out, delighted. “I’ll always be gross for you, babe.”

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it? Did you love it? Did you... *gasp* hate it? Let me know! I'm always open for reviews, comments and helpful criticism.  
> I'm here to grow. :)
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr as [cutiesaeran](http://cutiesaeran.tumblr.com/) or twitter [@MysticHawke](https://twitter.com/MysticHawke/)!


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